Apparatus for manufacturing ingots.



w; H. GONNELL. APPARATUS FOR MANUFACTURING INGOTS.

APPLICATION FILED JAN. 30, 1913.

' Patented Sept. 30, 1913.

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MW; HM 113 mm WILLIAM H. CONNELL, or PITTSBURGH, PENNSYLVANIA.

APPARATUS FOR MANUFACTURING INGOTS.

a Specification of Letters latent. Patented Sept. 30,1913,

Application filed January 30, 1913. Serial No. 745,168. A

To all whom it ma concern:

Be it known that 1, WILLIAM H. CON NELL, residing at Pittsburgh, in the county of Allegheny and State of Pennsylvania, a citizen of the United States, have invented or discovered certain new and useful Improvements in Apparatus for Manufacturing In gots, of which improvements the following is a specification.

. In an application Serial No. 708,712, filed July 10th, 1912, is described and claimed a method for so regulating the cooling of molten metal as to afford opportunity for the escape of gases and to avoid the formation of pipes in the casting. This method consists generally stated in so controlling solidification of the=metal at any desired point or points as to insure such uniformity in cooling and solidification transversely or in horizontal planes, that in shrinking the metal would not be drawn away from the central portions of the ingot.

The invention described herein relates to a form ,of apparatus whereby the temperature of the metal at part of the ingot may be controlled, i. e., permitted to drop or to be raised as conditions may-require.

The invention is hereinafter more fully described and claimed.

3W In the accompanying drawing forming a part of this specification; Figure 1 is a sectional elevation'showing ingot molds having in improved heat generator in position;

Flg'. 2 is a similar view showing a modifiea-- t-ion of the heater; Fig. 3 is a top plan view of the form shown in Fig. 1; Fig. 4 is a top plan view of a mold and heater,.the latter adapted for use with a three phase electric supply; Fig. 5 is a plane development of the heater shown in Fig. 4.

In the practice of my invention I employ an annular heater formed of some suitable non-electric conducting refractory material ig. l. The outer face of the inner section is grooved for the reception of the conductor '2, and after the latter has been placed in position the two sections are fitted together.

.In the heater shown in Fig. 2 the resistor is in such form as to be easily adaptable for use with single phase or poly-phase'elect-rical supply. Fig. 5 shows the arrangement for a 3-pl1ase supply.

When casting ingots the mold may be Wholly or partially filled and the heater placed in the mold in the desired position, its temperature having been raised to such a degree that the metal will not harden on its surface. .The immersion of the heater will of course depend upon the point where control of the solidification of the metal should begin. By making the heater of sufficient length its lower end may be placed at or near the bottom of the mold. The current is then reduced allowing the lower portion of the heater to cool somewhat. The heater may be then raised to another level and if the metal in such second zone has become too cool, it can be reheated and brought into the proper condition-by increasing the current through the heater.

It will be understood that if referred the heater being cylindrical may e placed in the desired position in the mold and the metal teemed through it, and as the metal rises in the mold the heater will rise, such movement being preferably due to the buoyancy of the heater which can be regulated by means of weights.

- It will be observed that as the transverse dimensions of the heater are substantially less than those of the mold, there will be a considerable body of metal between the Y heater and the mold and that this body of metal as Well as that within the heater Will be subjected to the radiated heat. In order to insure the heating of the metal intermediate the mold and heater to counteract the chilling efl'ect of the mold it is preferred that the conductor embedded in the heater should be arranged closer to the outer surface, as shown in Figs. 1 and 2. The temperature of the heater can be so regulated that the chilling effect of the wall of the mold can be modified to such an extent that the outer portions of the metal will have more or less plasticity As before stated the heater can e placed in the mold at any time and at any desired height and then by controlling its all points and there Wlll be such movements of the metal outwardly, as in the present practice.

I claim herein as my invention: 7 1. As a means for controlling the solidification of metal in a mold, a heater movable in the mold, and means for raising the temperature of such heater to a point approximately that of the melting point of the metal "in the mold.

2. As a means for controlling the solidification of metal in a mold, a heater movable in the mold, and means 'for varying the temperature of the heater-while in the mold.

3. The combination of a mold, and means for progressively regulating the temperature of the metal in the mold.

4. As a means for controllin the solidification of metal in a mold, the zombination of a movable annular shell formed of refractory non-electric conducting. material and a resistor embedded in said shell and adapted to be highly heated by anelectric current.

In testimony whereof, I have hereunto set m hand.

y WILLIAM H. CONNELL.

Witnesses: I

J. H. MCGULLOCI-I, EDWIN K. LANDIS. 

